Shipment From the USA to France
Introduction: Ship Boxes or Luggage from the USA to France
Shipping a Box from the USA to France: Gifts and Product Samples
France is an EU member state, which means goods arriving from the USA are subject to EU customs rules. French customs is administered by the DGDDI (Direction Générale des Douanes et Droits Indirects — the Directorate General of Customs and Indirect Taxes), and the official customs portal is douane.gouv.fr. TVA (taxe sur la valeur ajoutée — French VAT) applies at a standard rate of 20% on most imported goods.
France has introduced its own national customs handling fee that took effect on 1 March 2026 — earlier and different in structure from the EU-wide €3 charge planned for 1 July 2026. The French fee is €2 per product category (HS code line) within a shipment, not per shipment overall. A box containing only clothing would attract one €2 charge. A box containing clothing, books, and cosmetics — three different HS code categories — would attract three €2 charges, totalling €6. This is unique to France among EU member states in 2026 and affects all shipments valued at €150 or less, including personal gift boxes.
France also had 189 million customs declarations for small parcels in 2024, making it one of the most active parcel customs environments in the EU. French Douane increased enforcement of undervalued goods in 2024–2025, and declared values that appear inconsistent with the contents are among the most common reasons French parcels are held at the border.
Relocating to France and shipping personal belongings? See our luggage shipping page. For donation pallets or tradeshow freight to Paris Nord Villepinte or Le Bourget, see our pallet shipping page. For business equipment or inherited items in a crate, see our crate shipping page.
Get a Free Quote:
https://expediship.com/contacts/
Shipping Cost & Transit Time From the USA to France
Our prices are highly competitive — that’s why so many customers choose Expediship for shipping from the USA to France. We offer affordable rates with reliable, professional service, guiding you step by step through the entire shipping process for boxes, luggage, and parcels.
Delivery to France typically takes around 5 business days, not including customs clearance time, which may vary depending on France government processing.
Below are estimated starting prices for shipping boxes from the USA to France. Final cost depends on box size, pickup address, and delivery city.
| Weight Range | Starting Price (USD) |
|---|---|
| 1–10 lbs | From $35 |
| 11–20 lbs | From $85 |
| 21–30 lbs | From $130 |
| 31–40 lbs | From $180 |
| 41–50 lbs | From $230 |
| 51–60 lbs | From $320 |
| 61–80 lbs | From $375 |
| 81+ lbs | From $427 — for larger shipments, please contact customer service for an exact quote. |
Note: Prices are estimated starting rates for air freight shipments. Expediship offers door-to-door service with full tracking and customs guidance.
French Customs Rules for Gift Boxes from the USA
French Customs Rules for Gift Boxes from the USA
France applies EU customs law alongside its own national TVA rules. The official DGDDI guidance on receiving gifts from abroad is at douane.gouv.fr.
The €45 gift exemption and €150 customs duty threshold
For a gift box to be fully exempt from both customs duty and TVA, it must meet the standard EU private gift conditions: the value must be €45 or less, the sender must be a private individual, the recipient must be a private individual, the gift is occasional and genuinely free of charge, and the contents are for personal use. Above €45 up to €150: no customs duty applies, but French TVA of 20% applies on the declared value. Above €150: both customs duty and 20% TVA apply.
France’s €2 per HS code fee from 1 March 2026 — how it changes the calculation for gifts
From 1 March 2026, France introduced an additional administrative handling charge (droit de dédouanement) of €2 per product category (HS code line) on all shipments valued at €150 or less from non-EU countries. This fee applies on top of the standard TVA. Critically, the €2 charge is per customs tariff code line, not per shipment. Here is what this means in practice for personal gift boxes:
A box containing only men’s clothing: 1 HS code → 1 × €2 = €2 extra charge.
A box containing a sweater, a book, and a face cream: these fall under three different HS codes (clothing, books, cosmetics) → 3 × €2 = €6 extra charge.
A box containing several different types of clothing (T-shirts, jeans, socks): if they all fall under the same HS code, it is still 1 × €2. But if the clothing items span different HS code categories (for example knitwear vs woven clothing), multiple charges apply.
The €2 fee is separate from TVA and from the EU’s separate July 2026 €3 flat-rate. For gift boxes below €45 that meet the private gift exemption criteria, the fee still applies — the exemption from TVA and duty does not exempt the sender or recipient from this administrative charge.
France’s TVA rates on gift boxes
The standard rate of 20% applies to most goods: clothing, electronics, cosmetics, toys, homewares, and general consumer products. A reduced rate of 5.5% applies to most food products, books (physical), and certain other essential goods. A lower rate of 2.1% applies to a narrow set of goods including certain medications and press publications. For most gift boxes from the USA containing clothing, electronics, or personal items, 20% TVA applies to the declared CIF value (cost of goods plus shipping plus insurance).
France's Three TVA Rates and Why They Matter for Your Gift Box
France’s Three TVA Rates and Why They Matter for Your Gift Box
France has one of the more complex VAT structures in the EU, with rates at 20%, 5.5%, and 2.1% (plus a 10% intermediate rate for certain goods not covered here). Knowing which rate applies to your gift box contents can affect what the recipient in France is asked to pay.
The standard rate of 20% applies to: clothing, electronics, cosmetics, toys, sporting goods, jewellery, alcohol (plus excise duties), furniture, and most general consumer products. This is the rate for the majority of gift boxes sent from the USA to France.
The reduced rate of 5.5% applies to: most food products intended for human consumption, books and other physical publications, energy-saving products for housing, disability aids, and some cultural goods. If your gift box to France is primarily food-based — American packaged snacks, specialty coffee, teas, confectionery, shelf-stable specialty foods — the TVA rate on those items is 5.5%, not 20%. The French 5.5% food rate is more generous than Finland’s 14% or the Netherlands’ 9%, making it potentially the most favourable EU food TVA rate for food gift boxes.
The reduced rate of 2.1% applies to medications reimbursed by French social security and the French press (newspapers, certain periodicals). This does not typically apply to gift box contents.
A practical note on wine: French customs treats alcohol as a controlled category. Wine is subject to 20% TVA, plus French accises (excise duties) calculated per litre of alcohol content. A bottle of American wine in a gift box will incur both TVA and excise duties on arrival — the excise duty calculation is based on the alcoholic strength and volume of the product. If your gift box includes wine or spirits, declare them accurately on the commercial invoice and contact ExpediShip in advance so we can estimate the recipient’s total customs cost.
Shipping Product Sample Boxes from the USA to France
Shipping Product Sample Boxes from the USA to France
France is the EU’s second-largest economy and one of the world’s great luxury, fashion, aerospace, food, and technology markets. US companies ship product sample boxes to French importers, distributors, luxury retailers, and business partners regularly — for product launches, pre-trade-show review, business meetings, and market testing.
EU customs duty and French TVA of 20% apply to product samples from the USA just as they apply to any other commercial import. Below €150: no duty but 20% TVA applies on the full CIF value, plus the €2-per-HS-code fee from 1 March 2026. Above €150: customs duty (at the applicable TARIC code rate) plus 20% TVA apply.
France’s DELTA customs declaration system
France uses its own national customs IT platform called DELTA (Dédouanement en Ligne par Traitement Automatisé — Automated Online Customs Clearance). All commercial import declarations in France are filed through DELTA, which connects to the broader EU customs network. As part of 2025 digitisation, French customs systems now cross-check import declarations against broader EU data, making accurate HS code classification and correct declared values more important than ever. France seized €2.5 billion in undervalued goods in 2024, and the DGDDI has stated its intent to tighten enforcement. Declaring product samples at “no commercial value” when they are clearly functional and saleable is not advisable in France.
How to document a product sample shipment to France
On the commercial invoice, write the purpose as “Commercial Sample — Not for Resale” (or “Echantillon commercial — non destiné à la revente” in French — including the French description is good practice for French customs). List each item individually with a specific description, quantity, declared value in USD, and the HS code. Both the English and French descriptions are accepted by the DGDDI.
For trade show samples returning to the USA after a French event, an ATA Carnet allows temporary import without duty or TVA. France fully accepts ATA Carnets for commercial samples and professional equipment. See our pallet shipping page for full ATA Carnet details.
Insurance Options for Shipping Boxes, Pallets, Crates, or Luggage from the USA to France
Every shipment automatically includes $100 of cargo insurance free of charge — if anything is lost or damaged, you are covered up to $100 at no extra cost. Need more protection? Add full coverage for just 3% of the declared value when requesting your quote. For eligibility rules, non-insurable items, and how claims work, see our Shipping Insurance Guide.
International Shipping Prohibitions and Restrictions
Ship from USA to France — Know What You Cannot Ship
Certain items cannot be received, stored, shipped, imported, or exported due to government regulations, safety concerns, or international trade laws. Transactions involving these commodities are strictly prohibited, regardless of the shipment’s origin or destination.
Note: These items are completely forbidden to be exported or imported between countries.
Shipping Process
Ship Box or luggage from USA to France
Frequently Asked Questions When Shipping Boxes from USA to France
Yes, if the declared value exceeds €45. Gift boxes valued at €45 or less are exempt from both customs duty and TVA when all private gift conditions are met. Above €45, French TVA of 20% applies to the full declared value — and from 1 March 2026, an additional €2-per-HS-code administrative charge also applies to shipments valued at €150 or less. Official French customs information is at douane.gouv.fr.
From 1 March 2026, France charges €2 per product category (customs tariff code, or HS code) on all shipments valued at €150 or less from non-EU countries. This is separate from TVA and from the EU-wide €3 charge planned for July 2026. A box containing a single type of product pays €2. A box containing products that fall under three different HS codes pays €6. The charge applies to gifts between individuals valued between €45 and €150.
France applies a 5.5% TVA rate to most food products intended for human consumption. This is significantly lower than the standard 20% rate and is one of the lowest food VAT rates in the EU. A care package of packaged American food items — snacks, coffee, specialty foods — attracts 5.5% TVA on the food items rather than 20%. Listing food items separately on the commercial invoice with the description “food product / produit alimentaire” helps ensure the correct rate is applied.
Via air freight through Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport, most box shipments from the USA to France arrive in approximately 4 to 5 business days. French Douane clearance for well-documented shipments at CDG is generally efficient. Shipments with vague item descriptions or apparent undervaluation are the most common cause of delays.